A groundbreaking sentence has been handed down in France, where a woman has been given a rare whole-life term for the shocking murder of 12-year-old Lola Daviet. The crime, which took place in Paris, has deeply affected the country.
Dahbia Benkired, 27, will spend a minimum of 30 years incarcerated, a decision made by a panel of judges and a jury. This penalty is the most severe possible in France, and it is seldom imposed, particularly on women, making Benkired the first to receive such a sentence.
Historically, this extreme penalty has been reserved for individuals like the serial killer and rapist Michel Fourniret and Salah Abdeslam, who was involved in the deadly 2015 Paris attacks that claimed 130 lives.
Lola Daviet tragically lost her life in October 2022. Her body was discovered in a trunk near her home in the northeastern suburbs of Paris. The accused, Benkired, an Algerian immigrant, was reportedly facing deportation orders, a detail that has been amplified by right-wing and far-right political factions in France following the case.